1. Dogs
I’m not sure why, but there are always dogs on leashes at
cross country meets. Is it because it’s
outdoors? Possibly. But, then, why don’t you see dogs at football
games or soccer games? I don’t know. But someone always brings a dog. I am not opposed to this, as long as the dog
in question is well-behaved. Getting to
pet the dogs of total strangers is one of the many perks of attending a cross
country meet.
2. A group of little kids chasing each other
Their big brothers/sisters/cousins are running at the
meet. They don’t care. They don’t particularly want to be
there. They are bored. There are broad, open, grassy spaces. So they chase each other and laugh and fall
down and get grass-stained knees. They
pick up handfuls of mown grass and throw it at each other and laugh like
maniacs. At the end of the meet they are
convinced that they have just experienced the best outdoor playdate ever.
3.
Boys trying to hit each other with sticks
What is it with boys and sticks? Where do they even find sticks on a flat,
grass course? Who knows, but find them
they do. First, they just swing the
sticks around aimlessly. Parents warn
them to “be careful with that stick!”
They ignore said parents, who then resume their conversations with other
adults. Aimless stick-swinging evolves
into swordplay accompanied by kung-fu-like kicking. Another level of parental warning
occurs. This delightful game ends with
one child in tears while another protests, “But I didn’t mean to hit Joey in
the eye!”
4. A kid messing with the flags/rope that edge the
course
There is a lot of waiting in a cross country race—at least
it seems like a lot if you are five. You
have to stand around next to this rope waiting for something to happen. If you’re lucky, there are colorful plastic
flags attached to the rope. Lean on the
rope—it holds you up! Continue leaning until
the pressure of your body starts to pull the stakes, to which the rope is
attached, out of the ground. A parent
tells you to “let go of that rope.” Comply,
until parent looks away and starts talking to his/her neighbor. Repeat process until the stakes are pulled
free or until you are removed from the scene, whichever comes first.
5. A toddler trying to escape from its minder and
bowlegged-sprint onto the course
Everyone is running!
Running is fun! Especially when
you have just learned how to do it! The
moment that no one is holding her is the moment a toddler decides to scoot her drunkenly-staggering
but amazingly speedy little body out onto the course. The parent dodges under/over the rope and
grabs the escapee, who howls in protest.
Eventually tiring of trying to contain a tiny Tasmanian-devil-like
tornado of fury, the adult sets down the child, who gleefully makes another run
for it.
6. Runners of every shape and size
Junior high kids come in an astounding array of sizes and
shapes, from the most petite sixth grader to the eighth-grader who looks like
he’s ready for the NBA tryouts. The
unique nature of this sport, in which you compete against yourself as much as
you compete against others, and in which you are both an individual and part of
a team, and in which everyone—coaches, fans, and your teammates—seems united in
encouraging you, means that it attracts both naturally talented runners and kids
who wouldn’t otherwise be athletes. This
is amazing and wonderful. Everyone is
welcome, as long as you are trying. If
only all of life were the same.
7.
Someone crying
Running is a surprisingly emotional sport. Runners cry from pain or exhaustion or
elation. Parents get weepy at the
sometimes Herculean efforts being made by these young people who are testing
the boundaries of their endurance.
8. Fans and runners cheering on runners from other
schools
There is a parent (or maybe she’s a coach, I really don’t know)
from Edison Middle School who I’ve seen at several meets. She claps for and cheers on every runner who
passes by her. She eyeballs their
uniform and then yells out encouragement:
“Keep it up, Mahomet!” “Good job,
Unity!” At the last meet of the season,
I witnessed a thin boy in a Knights uniform with a wrapped ankle doing the
same: “Keep your pace, you’ve got plenty
of time!” “If you want that medal, you’re
going to have to sprint for it—you can do it!”
I can literally count on one hand the number of times I’ve seen a parent
yell in a nasty way, and then it was at their own child (not that that makes it
OK). Yes, people encourage their kids to
“Catch her! Pass him up!” but we clap
and cheer in admiration for the first runner through, whether they’re ours or
not, and for the last runners who are breathlessly straggling in. It’s competitive, but good sportsmanship reigns.
9. Two runners who suddenly decide within the last
stretch that they are not going to let the other one beat them
This can happen with the leaders, but it also happens with
kids in the middle of the pack and even with those trailing towards the end. They see the finish line and that competitive
drive kicks in, and they BRING. IT. Those are some of the best moments, even when—or
maybe especially when—the winning of the race is not on the line.
10. Kids trying their hardest and pushing themselves
to their limits
This is why I am often the crying person from number 7 (see
above). It is powerful, it is moving to see eleven-, twelve-, and
thirteen-year-olds with their junior high bodies, and all the insecurities and
confidence issues that go along with that stage, pushing themselves mentally
and physically. It is a beautiful and humbling
thing to witness the determination and struggle written across their faces as
they propel themselves towards the finish line with every ounce of their heart
and soul, with every muscle. There is
something primal and deep about running as hard as you can possibly run that
speaks to the cores of those of us watching.
It’s hard not to see a metaphor, sharp and poignant and breath-taking,
in the image of an adolescent running full tilt towards her future with
everything she’s got.
